Jeffersonville, Ind. – The U.S. Department of Transportation announced that the Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville will receive $10 million in TIGER Discretionary Grant money to enhance and expand the port’s infrastructure.
The grant will provide partial funding for $17 million in infrastructure enhancements that will add nearly four miles to the port’s existing 11-mile rail network. The project will enhance and overhaul the railroad infrastructure and intermodal capabilities throughout the entire port. The project scope includes construction of a siding to accommodate unit train delivery to and from the port, reconfiguration of the waterfront railroad infrastructure including two new rail loops that will dramatically increase operational efficiency, construction of a waterfront intermodal facility that will more than double the capacity of bulk commodities transferred from rail cars to barges, construction of a rail yard that will allow cargo to be transferred between trucks and rail cars, and construction of more than a mile of the railroad extension towards the River Ridge Commerce Center.
“The Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville is a critical economic driver for Indiana and this grant will greatly enhance its ability to provide Hoosier businesses more transportation options, including more efficient access to the U.S. inland waterways system and global markets,” said Governor Mike Pence. “This is an exciting time for Southern Indiana as this area is poised for exceptional growth. The recent $2.3 billion dollar investment in two new interstate bridges spanning the Ohio River, the construction of a heavy-haul transportation corridor connecting the port to the 6,000-acre River Ridge Commerce Center, and now additional expansion of the port’s cargo-handling capabilities, helps position this region to further attract new bulk cargoes and large scale industrial projects that require multimodal transportation connections.”
The Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville set a shipping record in 2014, exceeding two million tons for the first time since opening in 1985 and, in the first quarter of 2015, logged its highest quarterly freight volume ever. Port operations generate an economic impact of $1.5 billion per year and support over 11,000 total jobs.
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